Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

The Threat of a Tripledemic Is Getting More Real—and Urgent Care Is on the Front Lines

In an average year, 35 states reporting “high” or “very high” levels of influenza would be concerning. In the 2022–23 flu season, with record levels of respiratory syncytial virus and new variants COVID-19 continuing to emerge, it’s downright alarming. That’s where we are, though, according to the latest Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The situation is so dire in the Pacific Northwest that KOIN News invoked the …

A 32-Year-Old with Fever, Cough, Arthralgia, and Photophobia

A 32-year-old immunocompetent male presents with fever, cough, arthralgia, and photophobia for a few days. On examination, he had a temperature of 100°F (37.8°C) and conjunctival injection. There was a widespread erythematous macular rash on his wrist. When asked about travel, the patient mentioned that he recently visited his family in the Dominican Republic. During his travels, he drank local water and sustained a few mosquito bites. His symptoms began approximately 4 days after his …

With COVID and Flu Still a Concern, Pediatric RSV Cases Are at a Crisis Point

Respiratory syncytial virus is running rampant from coast to coast, to the point that RSV hospitalizations outnumber COVID-19 in children by a 10 to one ratio in at least one hospital, according to an article published by the New York Post. It goes on to note that the virus is causing a “capacity disaster” in the words of the head of the pediatric department at Massachusetts General for Children. The pediatric ICU there is at …

Staffing Issues Are Hitting Pharmacies, too—and with Flu Season Here, the Timing Couldn’t Be Worse

We’re all well aware that urgent care centers are wrestling with shortages of clinical staff, x-ray technicians, and various other essential positions. It’s especially challenging when patient visits start to swell, such as during flu season. Be aware that the situation could get dire as the weeks roll on, however. According to an article just published by Becker’s Hospital Review, drugstores are having their own troubles with pharmacist staffing—and it’s starting to hinder their ability …

Disparities Could Leave Some Patients at Greater Risk for Flu and Poor Outcomes This Year

With this flu season expected to be harsher than others in recent years, while respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 are also circulating widely, it will be especially important to ensure that as many Americans as possible are suitably vaccinated. Unfortunately, as was made clearer than ever during the height of the pandemic, some racial and ethnic groups are at greater risk for illness and poor outcomes during viral outbreaks. In fact, according to a new …

Follow-Up: ‘Tripledemic’ Worries May Be Well-Founded, and Realized Sooner Than Later

Just last week, we told you that unusually high cases of respiratory syncytial virus, added to existing concerns over COVID-19 and influenza season, have public health officials in the United States worrying about simultaneous epidemic-level surges of all three viruses. Already, data are pouring in from around the country, raising the alarm that what was first thought to be a potential near-future problem may be an actual present-day crisis. An article published in the Virginia …

Never Mind the Twindemic—It’s the ‘Tripledemic’ We Need to Guard Against

Mainstream and healthcare media (including JUCM and JUCM News) have been warning for weeks that the United States could be teed up for a twindemic—simultaneous epidemic-level cases of both COVID-19 and influenza—this year. As it turns out, that could be a less-than-worst-case scenario this winter. A report published by The New York Times says it would be prudent to throw respiratory syncytial virus into the mix of things to worry about in the coming months; …

Be Aware: Flu Activity Is Starting Earlier—and in Different Locales—than Expected

As JUCM News readers know, infectious disease and public health experts have been saying for weeks that we could see a severe flu season this year, especially compared to the last few when people wore masks and practiced social distancing due to COVID-19. Data are already proving them out, and the fact that they’re emerging so early in the season is raising red flags. Not only that, but some of the states with the highest …

Update: ‘Twindemic’ Concerns Grow as Flu Cases Start to Amount. Are You Prepared?

As JUCM readers know, public health officials have expressed concern that the much dreaded—but previously unrealized—simultaneous spike in influenza and SARS-CoV-2 could overwhelm the U.S. healthcare system, kill unknown masses of patients, and pummel the nation’s economy. Unfortunately, fresh insights gleaned from the start of the U.S. flu season are doing nothing assuage those fears. In fact, Vanderbilt infectious disease professor and highly regarded public health expert William Schaffner, MD told NPR just last week, …

Bullous Pemphigoid Reaction After Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

Urgent message: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, unvaccinated people have shown higher rates of morbidity and mortality in comparison with those who are fully immunized. While most vaccination adverse reactions are mild and self-resolving, it is important to consider the timeline of vaccinations to correlate possible adverse reactions. Amanda dos Santos, MD and Michael Pallaci, DO, FACEP, FACOEP INTRODUCTION The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic continues to affect all aspects of our society and …